Effects of xanthan gum on cooking qualities, texture and microstructures of fresh potato instant noodles

In the present investigation, fresh potato instant hot dry noodles were prepared to evaluate the effect of xanthan gum (XG) on cooking qualities, texture and microstructures of noodles. Three types of noodles were prepared with different incorporation level of XG (0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% w/w, wheat flour basis) and their physico-chemical and functional properties in relation to textural and rheological characteristics were evaluated. The results showed that incorporation of 0.60% XG (w/w, wheat flour basis) increased peak viscosity, trough, breakdown, final viscosity, setback increased dramatically, whereas pasting temperature declined compared with control. The addition of XG resulted in increased G′ and G″ and contributed to fast rehydration higher cooking loss, water absorption and increased porosity. The findings in this work provided evidence that XG could be used as a partial additive for wheat flour in non-fried instant noodles production.